Kustom kba 100 bass amp review

Submitted November 1, 2005 by a customer from localnet.com

"The little amp that could"

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

Unless you are looking for a huge cabinet to wow the crowd with sheer size, I would stick with this amp for a long time. It gives me confidence to trust other Kustom products that I see in the market.

Sound

The sound comes through as it should on a decent bass amp; you can feel it in your toes more than hear it in your ears. Very little hiss or amp-induced noise.

Features

I wasn't too impressed with the effects included with the amp. The only one I found remotely useful was the chorus function, and that ahad limited use. There is no footswitch included with the amp to activate the effects either. You would defintiely need an effect pedal if you play your bass with distortion, flange, or any other effects. The gain does provide a nice punch and the equalization and notch controls provide you with plenty of diversity to be able to tweak your bass sound to your liking for clean, jazz, or even some punk-popping tones. You can line out to external speakers through a 1/4" jack and it even has a stereo output for serious studio recordings, which is a NICE option, as this amp can hold it's own it a studio as well.

Quality

I have had this amp for 2 years and have taken it over approximately 1,000 miles of road. It hasn't sustained any major falls or impacts, and it still looks almost new. It is built solid and I often use it as a seat in practice, without any fear of it tipping or anything breaking. The only issue I had was on initial purchase. The back panel had a loose screw which caused the back panel to vibrate and buzz when I struck an A. I simply tightened the screw and glued it in place. End of problem.

Value

This amp could easily be the one and only bass amp you need. Studio use, light enough to take to practice, and loud enough to play any venue where you are not lined out to a sound system.

The Wow Factor

Aesthetically there is not much to it. Flat back and solid, kinda like the monolith from 2001:A Space Odessey. It is not eye-catching, but you can tell by looking at it that it is built tough and will last a long time.

Musical Background:

Active musician

Musical Style:

Rock; Alternative

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Submitted July 17, 2003 by a customer from att.net

"15"

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

If lost or stolen I would get another one unless there was another one with more watts for about the same price.

Sound

With the celestion speaker it's very responsive.

Features

Really don't care for the effects but I don't use them anyway.

Quality

For the price, how can you beat it.

Value

For my use as a "band practice" amp it's great, small and fairly light to carry and has enough volume to deal with a practice setting.

Manufacturer Support

N/A, unknown.

The Wow Factor

Very well done for a 15" speaker.

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Submitted March 1, 2004 by a customer from pacbell.net

"Decent tone, plenty of power, inexpensive = GReat Value!"

Sound

Better than I expected. Using Eminence 15" speaker. Not a lot of punch, but thunderous low end. Great for "Classic" bass lines. Plenty of power, decent tone.

Features

Notch filter & 6-band equalizer are useful. A little tweaking, and I was able to identify several DIFFERENT useful sounds. Effects are weak, but I usually don't use effects anyway. XLR out, line out, effects loop + all the rest. More than I'll ever use.

Quality

Seems to be very well built. Not too heavy. Plastic corners :(

Value

VERY High on the value scale. Decent tone, fairly loud, very inexpensive!!

Manufacturer Support

No Idea.

The Wow Factor

It's a combo bass amp.

Musical Style:

Mostly Classic Rock, a little country

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·More kustom Reviews · Reviews By Brand ·bass_guitar_amplifiers Forum ·Contribute! Hands-on review: ZVEX Effects Fuzz Probe

I ordered the KBA100 directly from the Kustom factory itself having paid only wholesale for it because I have a friend with a music retail business which is always a plus. The retail of this amplifier is $599 but since I only paid $300 I would have to call my purchase a steal. I needed an amplifier that would get me through those well sized gigs keeping up with those guitar stacks and after testing many amps that my friend had for sale I decided to go with the KBA100. This Amplifier comes complete with 8 preset digital effects which is always a plus. The tone can be adjusted by it's 6 (63db-5kdb) control knobs and gain adjustment. There is a frequency setting to perfect the tone and a gain setting to spice the sound up just right. With all the settings and digital preset effects this amplifier seems complicated but if you touch the right tune you will be very satisfied. The other plus on this amplifier is the 3 Cond. XLR Output jack for recording and gig microphones. Other input and output plugs include a guitar input, a CD/Tape input, an effects in/output, a footswitch input, and an external speaker output. I liked the overload light that came on the preamp section of the amplifier to tell you when your gain was overriding your volume and damaging your amp. I didn't have many problems with this unit as it is a good amplifier for the price. One problem I had with it is that it did not include a footswitch like most amps with preset effects or channels do include. It is very hasseling having to walk back to your amp during a gig to change the effect and level you want for the next song and also prevents you from changing effects during a song. If you're willing to buy a footswitch to go with this amp then you should be greatly satisfied. The second and last problem I had with this amp is that the effects did not operate at a low gain and low volume. This amplifier has top side adjustment rack which is better for those who don't want to bend over to adjust the changes needed. This unit weighs 69 pounds (30.1 kg.) with handles on each side. I would suggest purchasing wheels for it because it doesn't get hasseling to keep lift it. The digital effects include a lite chorus 1, lite chorus 2, medium chorus, heavy chorus, flange 1, flange 2, slapback, and an echo. The amp lets you know the power is on by it's huge jewel light. The mesh cover hides a Celeston 15" speaker that can handle the pump that this MOS-FET Transistor amp puts out. The dimensions of this amp are 24"x14.6"x17.5" or 61.1x37x44.5cm. The KBA100 is a good amp and I would suggest it if you were looking to head into the studio or play medium size gigs. It is a little too big for just a single person practice but perfect for a band or group session. I would really rate this amp with a 4.5 but since it isn't available I'll settle for the 4 side. This amp isn't perfect and is not very popular but I think Kustom will boost if they make more quality products like this one. I hope you enjoyed my review and hopefully it will help you make a good decision on purchasing your next bass amplifier. You can check out Kustom amps at www.kustom.com and if you want to know anything that I may have failed to mention in this review you can email me at . Thanks, Jake Herrington. Jake Herrington rated this unit on 2002-02-01. More Kustom bass_guitar_amplifiers Kustom KBA 100 | Kustom KBA100 Bass Amplifier | Other Reviews & Articles Related to bass_guitar_amplifiers

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